Biopesticide Evaluation from Lab to Greenhouse Scale of Essential Oils Used against Macrosiphum euphorbiae

Aphids are recognized as a major threat to economically important crops. Their control is predominantly based on synthetic insecticides that are detrimental to human health and the environment. Botanical pesticides based on essential oils (EOs) are a promising alternative. In this study, the entomotoxicity of green anise and fennel EO fumigation was tested on the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae. Three different settings of increasing scale were considered (leaflet, whole plant and greenhouse) to appraise the consistency of EO impact from controlled laboratory to greenhouse production conditions. LC50 values for green anise and fennel were 6.6 mu l L-1 air and 12.2 mu l L-1 air, respectively, based on dose-response curves in leaflet experiments but fennel EO induced phytotoxicity. EO efficiency was confirmed at the whole-plant scale. In the greenhouse experiment, fennel EO exhibited greater efficiency than at the laboratory scale equaling green anise EO efficiency but both EOs showed delayed phytotoxicity, illustrating the importance of long-term monitoring. The present study revealed the ability of both EOs to control M. euphorbiae populations under greenhouse conditions and hinted at the importance of assessing EO efficiency in realistic agronomic conditions (e.g., under the fluctuating environmental conditions usually occurring in greenhouses).

Automated summary

The study revealed that both green anise and fennel essential oils were effective in controlling Macrosiphum euphorbiae populations under greenhouse conditions. However, fennel essential oil exhibited delayed phytotoxicity, emphasizing the importance of long-term monitoring.